Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
Marbury High School recently announced the hiring of Christina Steiner-Leak as the new softball coach and Athletic Director. She will be coming to an athletics program that is well supported by the community and considered to be on the rise.
“I am really excited for this new challenge in my life and the opportunity to help a school in several levels,” said Steiner-Leak. “I have a lot to offer from my many years of experience at the college and high school level. It’s a great opportunity to help a thriving school and community grow and expand as athletics is growing and expanding. I am thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to working with the Marbury community in this next chapter.”
Steiner-Leak brings a wealth of experience and accolades along as a former softball player and coach. As a player, Steiner-Leak was on the first ever Auburn University softball team in the late 90s. She was the first player in Auburn softball history to hit a home run. As a coach, Steiner-Leak has a long history of accomplishments. Recently, she led Brew Tech to the Class 5A State Championship in 2023. Her team knocked out Marbury from the state tournament that year prior to moving on and winning the Class 5A state championship. Prior to that, she led AUM to an NAIA National Championship in 2014, and Alabama State to a SWAC championship in 2016 and 2019. She also led Southern Union to ACCC runner-up in 2024. She wants to continue that high level of success at Marbury among all programs.
“I really want to create a winning culture for all sports on and off the field. A culture of success in the classroom and on the field, but also in our community. I want to build a foundation in softball and with our other sports that encourages all our athletes. We will continue to grow in our traditions but build legacies that our younger students want to be a part of moving forward. I think starting over is always hard but we know that our players and coaches are working to make this a great place for all our students. For softball, I want to continue to teach and help our kids understand and love the game, and work to build a program that can compete at the highest level. I think this will be an exciting time as we move forward and build on the great things they have done in the past.”
Marbury has seen success across different sports in the last few years, from girls’ basketball making the Final Four in 2025, boys’ basketball making the Elite 8 in 2026, the softball team making the State Tournament in 2023 and 2024, girls’ soccer making the Final Four in 2023, boys’ soccer winning the area championship in 2026, and the boys’ baseball making the quarterfinals in 2025.
“I know of Marbury’s history and tradition in several sports, to include softball and basketball. Their soccer program has thrived these last years. Softball and basketball have been contenders at state the past few years. We have a new football coach and several sports are building and it’s a great school that has a lot of community support,” said Steiner-Leak.
